The NYC Hamantashen Scene

The Bubbi Project has helped you prepare for your Purim celebration with a family hamantashen recipe and where to buy around Philadelphia (order sooner than later!). We've even got you covered if you are heading to New York City this weekend! Here, my friend, the food blogger Shannon Sarna, dishes the NYC hamantashen scene:

New York City is the kind of place you can find hamantashen every day of the week, all year ’round, at corner delis and supermarkets alike. Fairway, Whole Foods and Supersol all offer the flavors you would expect, and as we lead up to Purim, some unique flavors are emerging throughout the city as well.

Kutshers Tribeca, 186 Franklin St., New York, NY, (212) 431-0606: Kutshers Tribeca keeps hamantashen on the menu all year long. Their flavors include nutella, milk chocolate, lemon-poppy, raspberry and apricot. For Purim this year, they are working on a chocolate cookie hamantashen with peanut butter filling, as well as something special with caramel they have yet to announce. And for the purists out there: all the baking is done in-house.

My Most Favorite, 247 W 72nd St., New York, NY, (212) 580-5130: My Most Favorite, a kosher dairy eatery on the Upper West Side known for their brunch and baked goods, will feature traditional flavors like poppyseed, prune, apricot and raspberry; they will also offer peanut butter and chocolate-dipped peanut butter varieties.

Prime Butcher Baker, 1572 2nd Ave., New York, NY, (212) 616-1502: Prime Butcher Baker will be selling lemon, raspberry, apricot, chocolate and poppyseed hamantashen in their Upper East Side location. They will also be selling special meat and hamantashen baskets and a variety of mishloach manot.

1) Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add egg, milk, vanilla and orange zest until mixed thoroughly.

2) Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Add dry mixture to wet mixture until incorporated. Note: if the dough is too soft, increase flour amount by ½ cupfuls until firm.

3) Chill dough for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

4) Over a double boiler, heat cream and chopped chocolate. When chocolate is mostly melted, lightly whisk until ganache is smooth and shiny. Whisk in rum and salt. Chill for several hours.

5) Dust surface with powdered sugar or flour to keep from sticking. Roll the dough to about ¼ inch thick.

6) Using a round cookie cutter, cut out and place onto cookie sheet. To keep the dough from sticking to your cutter, dip in powdered sugar or flour before each cut!

7) Remove ganache from fridge, and using a teaspoon form about 1/2 inch round balls and place in center of dough. Carefully fold in the edges to form a triangular shape, and pinch the corners tightly to seal.

8) Bake at 400° for about 7-9 minutes.

9) Allow cookies to cool completely. Using a teaspoon or a small plastic squeeze bottle, drizzle caramel sauce back and forth on cookies. If desired, sprinkle with scant amount of coarse sea salt.